How does one die of "natural causes" at age 43? Dying that young is inherently unnatural.

My wife, the nurse--who guessed Whitney Houston's COD before it was announced--thinks heart failure. I doubt it because I think Breitbart had a great heart. A wicked tongue, but a good heart. Probably something stress related though.

I've a friend at the UW who works in cardiology research, and many gene markers for the various early heart death ailments are known. So if you want to know if you are at risk for an early death from heart attack, tests are available.

If Breitbart was cursed (is that the right word?) with such a gene, it should show in his family tree. Is his Dad alive? Brothers? Uncles? But Wiki tells me he was adopted. That makes tracing the family history difficult.

He was not in the least unique or brave or heroic, but was a panderer.

You have such compassion.

I enjoyed watching him puncture that needed to be punctured. I agree that this does not make him brave -- in a way that, say, firefighters are brave -- but it does take some gumption. It helps, I think, if your psychological makeup enjoys poking holes in bad arguments, and I think, from what little I've read on him, that his did.

That he made a living at what he did is testament to his abilities, however much you might downplay them.

Four kids without a Dad now, and a woman left to do it all. I hope he had good insurance.

It is a typical Leftist tactic to simultaniously loathe the military and then castigate any political opponent described as fearless and brave as not so - Because only Heroes in Uniform (they secretly or not so secretly loathe as stupid victimized war criminal murderers),courageous progressives, minority leaders, and Leftists practicing the Ultimate Patrotism of Dissent (like the OWS creatures) are brave risk-takers.

Breitbart went where his beliefs took him. He didn't care if he was making powerful enemies. Unlike Rush and Hannity - when he saw a conservative scumbag, he was not blocked by his personal politics from calling them a scumbag.

I'm guessing a heart attack. He dies in his sleep, the night after Davy Jones died (also too young) of a heart attack in his sleep.

He looked and acted like the kind of person who seems to be at risk for a heart attack, don't you think?

He raged!

Oh, stop it, people are of different temperaments. That's why I hate the way some decide to punish those of us who are more passionate than the rest - what else do you expect us to do?

Also, I hate to break this to you - because you're an adult who should know this by now - but people die. For no apparent reason. Our bodies aren't some perfect instrument but an exceedingly complex series of almost-mistakes that can go wrong at any time for almost any reason. You can try - try - to lower the odds of something going wrong but, if you're born, the odds are against you.

Andrew made the most of the time he had - oh boy did he - and we should all be happy for that. He's done a lot of good work, created a lot of jobs, set a good example, and righted many wrongs. I'm proud for him. His was a life to be celebrated, not this silly he-was-the-type bullshit. I've outlived almost all my friends, and I know there's no good reason for that. Doesn't have to be:

Robert Cook, you may think he was just another in a mob, but even you would have to admit, he went out, confronted those with whom he disagreed, and mixed it up. If you think about it, that's something very few will do, and that number seems to be declining, with many just doing so online. You don't have to like him, but you can't deny that about him.

Calling it "natural causes" 8 hours after death is a bit premature, I'd suggest. Surely you guys have noticed that Breitbart was acting a little out there recently even for Breitbart. "Unhinged" is an understatement. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

How does one die of “natural causes” at age 43? Dying that young is inherently unnatural.

Hardly. Prior to the 20th century it was about the average lifespan. And before the age of antibiotics of the mid-20th any scratch could result in an infection that would kill you. Now that we're in the counter-age of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, we're returning to that situation. My own father died a dozen years ago, not of “old age” (though he was old), but from just such an antibiotic-resistant infection.

Aside from his political courage, he was a wonderfully quirky and funny guy. He used to be on Red Eye frequently, before he was a household name. And he often substitutes for Dennis Miller on his radio show. Always, always fun to listen to. That's right, "fun." When the subject is politics, that's rare. He could easily have been an entertainer if he'd wanted. His father-in-law is Orson Bean, by the way. Just a great guy, and unbelievably brave. It will be interesting to see who shows up to his funeral. He knew a LOT of in-the-closet conservatives in Hollywood.

Madison Man - I agree that this does not make him brave -- in a way that, say, firefighters are brave -- but it does take some gumption.

I disagree. Much of what civilians or those who were never familiar with government employees in uniform (cops, firefighters)- see - is people that do jobs that involve physical risk - ergo they are brave heroes.

Most of that comes from training. The Draft, volunteer military, the firefighter screening process does not look for "The Brave". Does not test for ability to steel oneself up to grab a cobra by the back of the head, but for ability to do math and follow instructions.

Bravery in most part comes from unit cohesion, a worker adapting to the expectations of the "Norms and Culture" of the job - including civilian jobs with far higher personal risk than the average cop or soldier or firefighter (commercial fishing, extreme sports, drug dealing). Or is displayed by someone that goes "in the arena" day in and day out.

Breitbart was brave on the last count. He was in the arena everyday, he had real enemies waiting for him to make a mistake and pounce on him, hopefully end his career - for a single mistep. He was not a 'go along to get along" journalist, parroting the narrative of the NY Times and the Pregressive Jewish/liberal media bosses for job security. Living safe in his little cubicle like thousands of other journalist drones.That made him brave. And exceptional.

Shocking news, and terrible news for the conservative cause. Breitbart truly lived by the Hunter S. Thompson credo that one has to be "willing to challenge the bastards on their own turf." An untiring foe of leftist cant and hyprocrisy, he will be sorely missed by the conservative cause and champions of freedom everywhere.

He found success and celebrity by pandering to the ugly passions of the crowd, by following Barnum's credo that one will never go broke underestimating the taste of the public.

Please. He found success by sticking Andrew Weiner's dick in your face. He found success by helping james O'Keefe expose ACORN and NPR. He found success by making it clear people like you are liars in support of some of the skeeviest characters and policies American politics have ever known and, by extension, you have every reason to be looked at as just as unethical as your heroes and their "ideas." He kicked your ass, Cook, and he did it with style.

Nobody will ever say anything like that - considering your lack of ethics, I doubt they'll (we'll?) even say anything nice or complimentary when you die, asshole. It'll probably go like this:

My comments here today are more to do with the sentiments expressed by those who praise him (falsely) as some sort of hero, and less to do with him personally.

What a ridiculous statement. Telling someone that their praising of someone as a hero is akin to telling them their praise of a particular piece of music is wrong. Apparently you were striving to find something negative to say, but at least try to make some sense between the objective and subjective.

I hope, for consistency's sake, Robert, that you also consider Michael Moore to have found "success and celebrity by pandering to the ugly passions of the crowd." Even more so, in fact, as Moore was invited during the Democrat convention to sit in a place of honor well, honor to the left) next to that vile Jew-hater Jimmuh Carter, while Breitbart never received such an honor from the right.

Moreover, Moore has been repeatedly caught out in lies while Breitbart - to my knowledge - never was.

And if nothing else, the deadly silence from the left when he offered $10,000 to anyone who could produce video / audio of a TEA Partier screaming "nigger" earns him a special place among muckrakers.

5 seconds on Google and you will have a nice long list with examples of their work. Are you really pretending Breitbart didn't have enemies? You can see how far you have to go into silliness to try and make your point. Maybe it's just wrong.

No, Roger, he isn't. I certainly don't think so. Although he was better, long ago, when even Alpha Liberal had some interesting, cogent points to make. But since Obama's win - and especially since Walker ate his lunch - he's been rapidly going downhill to where, very soon, he'll be like AL and Jeremy (or Love, or whtever he's calling himself): the internet equivalent of the drunken bum at the side of the road shitting his pants.

I only have to read the first two paragraphs of that Salon article to see it's not going to prove a lie, but rather prove that the author is one of his enemies that you asked about above.

They state right up front that he lied about Sherrod and framed her by apparently showing her in a long continuous video tape speaking her own words. That's hardly objective, but rather it is doing exactly what it's accusing him of.

seems to me that one can recognize passions that one exhibits--I give you Senator Wellstone, whose politics I abhored; and Senator Kennedy whose politics and personal life I abhored--but when they die, the appropriate response is to wish the requiste in pacem, and let it go. Wish the family members condolences.

the political issues can be taken up later.

Is there no humanity left in our discourse--apparently not. A sad commentary on our humanity.

"... He found success and celebrity by pandering to the ugly passions of the crowd, by following Barnum's credo that one will never go broke underestimating thetaste of the public..."

That's funny because that pretty much describes to a T you and much of the leftwing and Occupy crowd that demonize anyone who attains wealth as if it was done through nefarious means or our veterans as war criminals or anyone who desires limited govt. as hate filled racist anarchists.

Maybe look at yourself and your compatriots with open eyes and look where the real hate lies.

"Then you're willfully ignorant. You could have at least googled 'Breitbart lies' before making such a disprovable statement."

Freder, your link's as pathetic as Cook's idiotic Salon piece. I didn't have to go beyond their whine about the ACORN tapes being "heavily edited" to know that. Don't presume to lecture me about what I "could" do, you mendacious hack.

What did John Donne say: ask not for whom the bell tolls--it tolls for thee. I dont recall he stipulated politicl persuasion.The bell will toll for all of us, and at end times we will have only our works to be recalled.

They state right up front that he lied about Sherrod and framed her by apparently showing her in a long continuous video tape speaking her own words. That's hardly objective, but rather it is doing exactly what it's accusing him of.

Garage, I'd have thought you'd love Breitbart's finger in the eye of authority approach. Instead, you celebrate a prank call to Walker that unsuccessfully attempted to catch him with his metaphorical pants down, but rage against Breitbart catching Wiener literally with his pants down. Why is that?

Or do you mean the comment after your comment, again by you, where you call someone an ignorant liar?

No the comment after HD's comment:

"Fuck you Robert Cook.

Breitbart crapped bigger than you.

Hope some personal misfortune comes your way."

And I didn't call Christopher in MA an "ignorant liar"; I said he was ignorant or lying. I have more respect for him to think he is both. (Now, I do believe that Simon and Cedarford, among others who post here regularly, are ignorant and liars).

(Now, I do believe that Simon and Cedarford, among others who post here regularly, are ignorant and liars).

WTF? Why bring either into it?They haven't even posted in this thread! Which, by the way, is rapidly becoming a disgrace, not to mention wandering off-topic into another, directed-personally-at-other-commenters mess.

I know "exonerated" is a big word, but you should really check the definition of hard words before you use them.

Dummy:

Two more ACORN officials were fired Friday after a second video surfaced showing staffers in the community organizers' Washington office offering to help a man and woman posing as a pimp and prostitute acquire illegal home loans that would help them set up a brothel....

The United States Census Director has sent a letter to the National Headquarters of ACORN notifying the group that it will no longer help work on the 2010 census.

The group's leaders said Friday they were "appalled and angry" at what their staffers had done, but insisted the videos were part of a political "smear" campaign and not representative of the institution as a whole.

"But that does not excuse the behavior of the employees," wrote ACORN's president Alton Bennet and executive director Mike Shea. "We have fired them and are initiating an internal review of practices and reminding all staff of their obligation to uphold the highest legal and ethical standards."

"... Irony is rich. Read the post that immediately follows this comment."

Indeed. Funny cause its always the leftwing hacks who pride themselves on their 'compassion', civility and how dissent is patriotic yet immediately turn into foaming at the mouth hate machines when harm befalls some conservative.

MSM articles about his death repeat long-since debunked lies (Sherrod video context, etc.) and are followed by utterly vile comments. Eg, the silly kents want you to believe that heroin was found at the scene. There are creatures in here too who cannot bring themselves to be decent.

A federal appeals court on Friday threw out a decision that had barred Congress from withholding funds from ACORN, the activist group driven to ruin by scandal and financial woes.

The ruling by the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan reversed a decision by a district court judge in Brooklyn that found Congress had violated the group’s rights by punishing it without a trial.

Congress cut off ACORN’s federal funding last year in response to allegations the group engaged in voter registration fraud and embezzlement and violated the tax-exempt status of some of its affiliates by engaging in partisan political activities.

You've beclowned yourself yet again freeper.

Don't worry, that ignorance is a virtue according to the people you vote for.

What? Yeah, I know it's a pussy drink. Matter of fact, make it half strength, I intend to have a lot of 'em. Thank you.

Worst reception ever. That's something. My favorite part about Breitbart was where he taught the Right how to bait the Left by predicting their behavior, in my view brilliantly. Save the most damaging bits for the second reveal at the peak of the firestorm created by the first. I love that and now look for it in everything and I think so does everyone else.

"...much of the leftwing and Occupy crowd...demonize anyone who attains wealth as if it was done through nefarious means or our veterans as war criminals...."

Not everyone who attains wealth has done so by nefarious means, but the banks and big financial houses--"Wall Street," for simplicity's sake--has attained much of their wealth through nefarious means...hence the name Occupy Wall Street.

As for the veterans, you're just playing to the cheap seats. The only soldiers who are war criminals are the ones who have committed war crimes: knowingly killing unarmed and defenseless persons, and particularly women and children; or committing torture. No, when critics of the wars condemn war criminals, they're referring to those who planned and executed the wars...the President and everyone below him and around him in a decision-making capacity. (This is why we prosecuted Nazi officers and high officials at Nuremberg, and did not haul in every ground-level German troop who fought in the war and who killed Americans and other Allied troops.)

(This is why we prosecuted Nazi officers and high officials at Nuremberg, and did not haul in every ground-level German troop who fought in the war and who killed Americans and other Allied troops.)

No, it isn't, or you would have included that we should have hauled Roosevelt and Churchill (and all their decision-makers) in for all the women and children they had slaughtered in the name of allied victory. How many died in the firebombings? How many collateral deaths caused when munitions factories were carpet bombed by B-17's that were ordered to drop their ordinance by generals, bureaucrats and, ultimately, politicians?

I don't equate them at all; unlike "Fuck the troops" Murphy, Breitbart had an extensive body of work, didn't call US military personnel "murderers", and actually recorded people compromising themselves and their positions.

At least I'd understand if you "equated them". What I don't understand is that you glamorize a POS like Murphy (who also happens to be ineffective!) and demonize Breitbart.

I'm stunned by this death, I think more than any other recent "public figure" death... because, I realize, I was counting on Breitbart to be around for a long while yet, doing things-- e.g. holding the MSM's feet to the fire-- that would directly benefit my life and world for many years to come.

"...we should have hauled Roosevelt and Churchill (and all their decision-makers) in for all the women and children they had slaughtered in the name of allied victory. How many died in the firebombings? How many collateral deaths caused when munitions factories were carpet bombed by B-17's that were ordered to drop their ordinance by generals, bureaucrats and, ultimately, politicians?

"Weren't they war criminals by your definition?"

Probably so, yes.

However, one could make the argument that, as the Allied powers were attacked by the aggressive Nazi and Japanese forces, we were fighting in self-defense, and thus were not fighting by choice, (as were the Nazis, and as we have been in virtually all the wars and "police actions" we've been involved in post-WW II). Thus, those innocent deaths could be said to be the fault of the Axis powers, whose aggression ignited the fires of war, which, once unleashed, cannot be controlled. (This does not necessarily excuse some of the tactics the Allied powers used, such as firebombing cities in Germany and Japan that were homes to non-combatant populations, or dropping atomic bombs on two cities in Japan at a time when victory was ours.)

More practially, (and cynically); we were the victors and they were the losers, and the victors always set the terms and punish the losers as they choose.

Like you, Professor Jacobsen (someone I have admired more and more over the year as I am a conservative teacher living on the front of Madison, WI) – I now know what my efforts need to be in light of the loss of our flag holder – our rock star – or reminder that real liberals evolve into real conservatives as they continue to stay engaged in their skepticism of Big Government.

I am with you 100%. This matters – that we keep the flag running through the field even though the brightest (most effective) flag holder has been laid down…..